Frequently asked questions

in-tender is a bid administration tool for South African government tenders. It stores your company records once, pre-fills tender documents from them, shows which fields and documents are still missing, and keeps your team's review and changes on one platform until you export the finished bid pack.

No. in-tender makes no promise about outcomes and has no say in who is awarded a tender. It helps with the administration of bidding: preparing your documents faster and with fewer gaps. Whether a bid succeeds depends on your own due diligence and procedures, your review of what you submit, and the evaluation by the organ of state that issued the tender.

You upload your registration, tax, B-BBEE and compliance documents once. A requirements check lists what a tender asks for and which requirements your records don't cover yet. Bid preparation pre-fills the tender's documents from your records, and each document shows how many fields are filled and which are still empty. When you're done, you download a single document or the whole bid pack.

Yes. in-tender pre-fills documents and points out what's missing, but you stay responsible for what you submit. Check every value, your pricing, signatures and attachments before the bid goes out. The difference is that review and changes happen in one place, instead of on copies emailed back and forth.

When several tenders close in the same week, most of the time goes on repeat admin: re-typing the same company details, converting forms between PDF and Word, and reviewing the same document again after each change. in-tender reuses your records across every bid. It shows what's still missing in each document and keeps everyone working on the same copy, so your team spends less time on paperwork and is less likely to miss a section.

Yes. Bid offices and consultancies can keep each client's company records separately and prepare bids from them. That means less chasing clients for the same certificates for every tender. For teams handling many clients, in-tender can also run on a dedicated system in your own office.

Live South African government tenders published on the National Treasury eTenders portal, refreshed automatically. Always check the issuing organ of state's own documents and notices for the final requirements and closing details.

Browsing tenders, the document vault and compliance tracking are free. You buy credits for requirements checks and bid preparations as you need them, with no subscription. Agencies and bid offices can instead run in-tender on a dedicated system in their own office, priced per seat.

Register your business on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) and keep your tax and compliance documents current. Then find live opportunities, which in South Africa are published on the National Treasury eTenders portal and by individual organs of state. Submit a complete, responsive bid before the closing date, priced competitively. The award decision rests entirely with the organ of state. in-tender helps with the documents along the way.

Register your company with CIPC, then register as a supplier on the Central Supplier Database (CSD) at csd.gov.za. You'll also need a valid SARS Tax Compliance Status, a B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit, and a business bank account. Some sectors require extra registration, such as CIDB grading for construction work.

When you register on the Central Supplier Database, your business gets a supplier number that starts with MAAA. Organs of state use it to verify your registration, tax status and banking details. Many tenders ask for the number and a recent CSD registration report, which you can download from your CSD profile. in-tender keeps these with your other company records so they're on hand for every bid.

Typically your CSD registration (MAAA number), a valid SARS Tax Compliance Status, a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit, your CIPC company registration, proof of banking details, and the completed Standard Bidding Documents (SBD forms) included in the tender. Specific tenders may ask for more, such as CIDB registration or proof of relevant experience. in-tender keeps these in a company vault so you upload them once and reuse them for every bid.

Standard Bidding Documents (SBD forms) are the standard forms National Treasury prescribes for public-sector bids. Examples include SBD 1 (invitation to bid), SBD 4 (bidder's disclosure) and SBD 6.1 (preference points claim). Municipalities use equivalent MBD forms. Most bids repeat the same company details across these forms. in-tender lets you fill them once and reuse them, so you're not retyping them for every tender.

An RFQ, or request for quotation, is how organs of state buy goods and services below the value that needs a full competitive bid. RFQs usually have shorter deadlines and lighter paperwork than a formal bid (RFB), but they still need the required forms and compliance documents in order. The short turnaround is where reusing your records saves the most time.

An organ of state identifies a need and advertises the tender. Suppliers obtain the tender documents and attend a compulsory briefing where one is required. Bids are submitted by the closing date. The organ of state evaluates them for responsiveness, functionality, price and B-BBEE preference points. The bid is then adjudicated and awarded, and a contract is signed and managed. in-tender helps with the bidder's side of the paperwork. Evaluation and award are entirely up to the organ of state.

Work through the tender document in order. Complete every SBD form that applies, answer the eligibility and functionality questions, fill in the pricing schedule exactly as set out, and attach each required compliance document. Follow the instructions to the letter: a missing form or unsigned declaration can get your bid disqualified before it's even scored. in-tender pre-fills what it can from your records and shows which fields are still empty, but you still review the bid and sign it off.

Price to the tender's pricing schedule. Cost your inputs honestly, add a sustainable margin, and stay competitive, because price carries most of the evaluation score alongside B-BBEE preference points under the PPPFA. Under-pricing to win can leave you delivering at a loss, while over-pricing loses points. Pricing is your call. in-tender doesn't set or suggest your prices.

It varies with the value and complexity of the tender. Competitive bids are usually advertised for a minimum period, often around three weeks. Evaluation, adjudication and award then add anywhere from a few weeks to several months. From advertisement to signed contract, three to six months is common, though some run shorter and complex tenders run longer.

After the closing date, evaluation and adjudication commonly take around 30 to 90 days, but there's no fixed timeline. A complex tender, a high value or a request for clarification can push it out further. Organs of state usually publish the award once it's final, and many also state a bid validity period you should plan around.

There's no shortcut and no guarantee. Be fully compliant and responsive, with every required form, certificate and signature in place. Be competitive on price and preference points, and show you can deliver the scope. Read each tender carefully, review your bid before it goes out, and submit well before the deadline. in-tender can't affect how a bid is evaluated. It helps with the compliance and paperwork, so your team has more time for the parts that need its judgement.